Turning Back Time with “Wives with Beehives”

12/18/2012

For Dollie, the modern world looks confusing and scary, so she chooses to live her life in the 1950s. The only problem is, it’s actually 2012.

But Dollie is not the only one longing for a lifestyle from the past. Amber, Leslie and Shelby all share Dottie’s affinity for the 1950s. These women don’t just dress like they’re living in the ‘50s – they’re living a vintage lifestyle with ‘50s clothing, furniture, electronics and personalities.

These ladies prove that living like you’re in the 1950s can be done. Here are some tips for being a part of the Wives with Beehives group.

How to live a vintage lifestyle:

1. It’s all about image. A vintage woman always has her hair done, is well-dressed and generally put together.
2. A woman has her role as a homemaker. She makes sure the house is perfect when her husband arrives home from work.
3. Family values are important to maintain.
4. Every piece of furniture, from the sofa to the stove, should be from the 1950s.
5. Per #4, this means you can’t own a dishwasher. You’re your own dishwasher!
6. Don’t email – or even own a computer.
7. Prepare for waistline adjustments. As Amber says, “After you get married, you get happy, and after you’re happy, you start eating.”
8. Do have well-manicured nails.
9. It’s OK to be like Leslie, the 1950s housewife who doesn’t cook. “I make nothing, I make reservations,” she says.
10. Be creative with your style. Today’s average woman is larger than her 1950s counterpart; sometimes clothing can be hard to find.

--Alex Zuckerman

Watch Wives with Beehives, Thursday, December 27 at 10|9c on TLC.

 

Comments

[Britney]

I love this idea I really hope there are more shows to come!!!!

[Bejone]

This made a catty scene already more catty and hey look Dollie is the next Doris (who was the next Bernie)! And why does every rockabilly girl have to be a pin up these days? Attention much. Need to prove to the world how rockabilly you are? Lacking something... I have a phone number for a great shrink in LA.

[John]

yes I know it was edited but I see them in real life often run in the same circle of friends and they are catty and competitive in person.

[John]

they have smartphones and computers they reply to comments on these blogs to defend the "I am more rockabilly then you" status quo.

[Pat Baker]

I would love to see more episodes. Vintage lifestyles are a great way of expressing yourself. Also love the dress styles...good designer there.

[SSG]

I came across the show by accident, and found it somewhat intriguing, as I grew up in the 50's. My memory for names is poor, but I do have a message for "Sailor Girl"...advice from a 30-year Navy wife.

Enjoy your vintage, by all means, and keep up those "fix it" skills. But don't allow your social life to be limited to the "vintage crowd". The military is, in many ways, still a reflection of a far more class-based society (similar to the 50's) than any other profession. You will find that your husband will be judged, to some extent, by your skill at navigating the social side of military life. (Progress has been made. Doors are no longer marked: "Officers and their Ladies. Enlisted men and their female companions.")

Also, you will find that you need the support of others who understand the stressors of six month deployments, and other unique factors of military life.

Best wishes,
SSG

[Inadvertant 50s Dame!]

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!

When watching this show, I totally get how you could flashbbacks to a time when our society was in denial about so many negatives, detailed by other posters... BUT- there are some cool things from the 50s that we may want to take a second look at.

I mean, seriously, does anyone prefer a virtual bouquet to a real one, or a get well soon email to a friend actually stopping by with soup, juice, and friendship?

I moved to a semi-rural area a few years ago, into a very petite 1950 house (with no dishwasher or central air), and at times it has been challenging... but it also forced me to slow down and find ways to work with what I've got.

My daughter who's now 5 has been helping me wash the dishes since she was 3, & she usually enjoys it! We get to chat, and when we're done I let her stir a big washbin of soapy water, and she calls it making soup.

Cable, dish, and internet are very overpriced out here (no competitioln!) So we downgraded to basic cable, no internet, and supplement with free videos from the library, not to mention reading, board games, baking, arts & crafts, etc. It has been really great for our mommy-daughter relationship.

Back when we had dish tv & internet, it was hard to find time for family duties, housework, plus my "me-time" online. Downgrading to a less wired lifestyle simplified everything.

I loved how in the show, the ladies wrote notes to each other and met up in person. I remember in the pre-internet days how we all used to do that more. I miss that, and hope maybe this show helps revive true socializing (check out Bowling Alone: social lives in the 50s compared to now). I also loved the focus on making do! I'm trying to re-learn how to crochet and knit, and maybe some day I'll even try sewing!

Hope to see more Wives With Beehives soon!

[Cindy Lou]

I loved this show. Yes, we have made many positive advancements since the 1950's (and ironically the fifties were so fixated on the future), but I can see why that decade would be so attractive to us in this oh so complex 21st Century. I say more power to them and more shows to TLC, please.

[patsy]

OMG! You have got to be kidding me! All the things listed in this article about how to be the perfect 1950’s housewife is such a step backwards for women. In fact, I passed this article around to a few women in my office , and they all thought it was just as despicable as I did! Just reading about Wives with Beehives has made me nauseous, and I hope to never see a second of this show. Sadly for me, that might be a tough feat to pull off, since my roommates are already addicted to every beehive adorned woman on the series. I’m just lucky that our independent tuners let me watch something else while they gawk at these odd couples, or else there would be some serious fights for the remote!

[angela]

Google: East west coast: Tattoos in the 1950s

[KitKat]

Live in a retro home - love traditional lifestyle. However, don't love the attitude presented by some of the women. If memory serves, women in the 1950's tried to cordial to one another. Helpful even. In my neighborhood we had the Welcome Wagon. Some of your ladies need to learn to be a little more neighborly and a little less mean girl.

[angela]

Don't believe everything you see on t.v.! Check out Dollie's side of the story before judging. http://missdolliedeville.blogspot.com/
Also there were women around with tattoos in the 50's, it just most women wouldn't think about getting tatted.

[Mike]

Bad show. The girls seem so vacant and self absorbed. Perfect "reality" fare. I'll bet every one of those girls will be on the show if it's picked up. They hate how they're portrayed but so self absorbed, they have to be on tv.

If they hated every moment, they could have walked away.

[Kelly]

Hey TLC, Why didn't you show the real Dollie, instead of editing film to make her a pawn in you show. Everyone I know in the Rockabilly scene adores her. Come meet her personally, anyone at VLV this year and You'll change your mind.

[letsgomets2013andbeyond!]

Dollie looks a lot like Jayne Mansfield.:)

I think it would be neat to have a house that has a decor of retro Fifties.:)

[Kaycie]

I love this show! I hope they keep it on.

[Stacy Blaise]

Love, love, love the show.

Miss Stacy Blaise

[Wifey]

Someone should tell Dollie that ladies in the 50s DID NOT have tattoos. She is all mixed up on what kind of dress up game she is playing. Is it 50s "lady"? (because she doesn't act like a lady) Is it biker babe? Is it prettiest girl in the class? (she certainly has no class!) The rest of the ladies are a joy to watch and the show a real treat. TLC - Dollie needs to go. She's obviously just there for the "drama" aspect but not all of us need that in a show.

[Lily]

Funny how commercial TV of any kind is all about making money, but I'm not allowed to make a comment about being inspired to wear vintage, and suggesting that readers and fans of 50s style buy vintage clothing from me. Is that hurting anyone?

[Cherry]

also yes the 50's were an awful time for some but isnt that true today. Gays fight for rights, as do women, blacks, and many other groups. People who look "different" fight an everyday battle for equal rights. this show is not meant to address the injustices of the period.

[Cherry]

MORE! This is so much better than anything else on right now! Stop trying to show them as crazy catty spoiled tv people and just showcase the lifestyle!! I hope this becomes a show!!!

[not amused]

Has TLC run out of ideas? This show make "Breaking Amish" entertaining .

[Mary Harrell]

LOVE this show! Please bring it back and show MORE SHELBY!

[Anna]

AWESOME!!! I love this. These woman are beautiful! I hope that I will get to see much more of them.

[Rockin'Silly]

such a fun show! Dollie's like honey boo of the 50's!!!